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Market research as to what makes Relay for Life successful on campuses and how to improve UC's Relay.
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The 2014 Relay for Life
Participation Survey Report
Prepared for: The University of Cincinnati Relay Planning Committee
Conducted by: Dianne Hardin Lindsay Larkey Megan Parin
Hamza Siddiqui Karen Wellman
22MKTG7012 22 April 2014
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ 1
Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 2
Background ................................................................................................................................. 3
Situation ........................................................................................................................ 3
Objective ........................................................................................................................ 3
Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 4
Data Collection .............................................................................................................. 4
Data Analysis ................................................................................................................ 5
Limitations ..................................................................................................................... 6
Key Findings ................................................................................................................................ 7
Secondary Data ............................................................................................................. 7
Primary Data .................................................................................................................. 7
Secondary Findings .................................................................................................................. 13
Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 14
Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 15
Appendix A: Coordinator Survey ............................................................................................ 16
Appendix B: UC Community Survey ....................................................................................... 21
Appendix C: Secondary Research .......................................................................................... 30
Appendix D: Summary of Open-Ended Questions ................................................................ 36
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Executive Summary
Despite finding an overwhelming majority of the UC community (93%) supports the American Cancer Society (ACS), there is a reported overall lack of awareness and willingness to participate in UC Relay For Life (Relay). To elucidate these findings and develop strategies to maximize UC Relay support, the UC community was divided into segments to tease out reasons for non-participation, and external Relay coordinators were tapped to identify keys to success.
Relay is the ACS’s most successful, community based fundraiser and the organization's signature event. The funds raised from this event are dedicated to fulfilling the mission of improving cancer survival rates, decreasing the incidence of cancer, and improving the quality of life for those who have been diagnosed with cancer through some of the programs outlined above. Relay events take place in twenty countries and events are held in local communities, at university campuses, and in virtual worlds.
At the University of Cincinnati (UC), this event is structured as an 18 hour, overnight fundraising walk. Teams of people camp around the track and take turns walking the track throughout the night to symbolize that the fight against cancer never stops. Relay provides food, games, activities, and non-stop entertainment throughout the night to build camaraderie and ensure that the participants are enjoying themselves. A key part of the event is the recognition ceremonies where participants, survivors, and those who have lost their battle to cancer are celebrated. The event is open to faculty, staff, alumni, and the surrounding community. However, the majority of participants are UC students.
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Background
Situation Over the past 11 years, UC’s Relay has raised over $1,150,300 and is one of the top collegiate Relays in the nation. Despite its success, UC continues to be out-performed in turnout and donations by other, smaller universities. With a student body of 31,000, top-ranked Virginia Tech Relay raises about $600,000 per year from over 5,000 participants. UC, on the other hand, draws from a significantly larger pool of 42,000 students, but brings in significantly less, suggesting that there is a wealth of untapped potential in the UC community. The UC Relay planning committee is on a mission to make Relay a staple event where students, faculty, staff, and alumni come together to fight cancer. It is the mission of the research team to identify how to tap into this potential to support Relay objectives.
Objective In cooperation with the ACS and UC Relay staff, and under the supervision of UC Marketing Research professor Dr. Frederick Russ, our team of UC Carl H. Lindner College of Business Graduate students conducted two surveys designed to assess the comparative strengths and weaknesses of UC Relay in an effort to inform strategies to increase participation and donations. The research team specifically sought to identify:
• The current level of awareness and current perceptions of the UC Relay • Why individuals do or do not chose to participate in the UC Relay • The best strategies to engage with specific segments of the UC community
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Methodology
Data Collection Data was collected in two phases:
1. Secondary research was conducted to understand the factors that affect participation, registration, and fundraising for collegiate charity events
2. Two Qualtrics surveys were administered: a. Relay Coordinator Survey, distributed to Relay coordinators at the top-performing
universities b. UC Community Survey, distributed to students, staff, faculty, alumni, and other UC
community members
Phase 1. Secondary Research
The research team conducted a literature review to identify factors influencing participation cause-based events, specifically charity sporting events. To refine our research questions and to facilitate the questionnaire development, we looked at why people donate to charitable causes. This effort also included a review of collegiate Relay events over the last five years to understand participation trends and outreach tactics used by Virginia Tech and the other top 10 Relay performers.
Phase 2. Primary Research
2a. Coordinator Survey
The coordinator survey assessed strategies underlying the success of top Relays.
• Purpose: Identify successful elements of community engagement, participation, and fundraising
• Survey based on the variables impacting Relay success as identified in the secondary research
• Email invitations were sent on March 10, 2014 to the Relay coordinators and 30 replies received by April 7, 2014
• Total sample size: 30
2b. UC Community Survey
• Purpose: Identify UC-specific participation influencers, level of awareness, and overall perception.
• Email invitations were sent to the following groups: o UC Undergraduate and Graduate Students o UC Faculty o UC Staff
• Different sets of questions were generated based on reported participation (non-participant vs. participant groups)
• Survey was sent on March 14, 2014 and 391 surveys were received by April 7, 2014 • Total sample size: 391
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Data Analysis All responses were collected and compiled in Qualtrics and downloaded into SPSS for analysis. The open-ended questions were transcribed and coded to generate insights. The secondary research insights were integrated with the primary survey insights to identify the key motivations that ACS can use to modify the structure and execution of future Relay events.
Segmentation For more precise analysis, respondents were segmented by Relay participation and UC status.
• Participation Type o Active Relay Participants -participated in last year’s Relay o Previous Relay Participants - participated in one or more Relay, but not last year o Non-Participants - have not participated in Relay
• UC Membership o Undergraduate Student o Graduate Student o Faculty or Staff Member o UC Alumni o Community Member o Other
Limited Answer Survey Questions The analysis included some exploratory demographic analysis of age, location and the respondents by respondent groups to look for relationships between their preferences, awareness, and willingness to participate. The analysis then progressed to crosstab and correlation analysis to determine if there were any associations between these factors. Simple frequency charts were generated to visually show this information. Two-Step Clustering algorithm was also used because most of the variables are categorical and require special clustering techniques. The missing values were also replaced by an extreme value of -99, while a handful of nominal variables were dummy-coded into dichotomous (binary) variables.
Open – Ended Survey Questions The open-ended questions supplemented the choice selection questions and were meant to clarify the respondent’s insights. The responses to the open-ended questions were reviewed and categorized into meaningful categories. From there, a frequency analysis was completed to understand the distribution of responses by respondent type. Two correlative analyses were completed to gain insights about the relationships between past participation and expected future participation. Unfortunately, the open-ended responses were incomplete for most records. The respondent may have provided an open-ended response to one or more of the questions targeted for correlation, but not to all of the questions. Therefore, there weren’t many complete data points to enable successful correlative analysis. The categories were also converted to numerical references for SPSS analysis, but the number of complete response records is minimal and doesn’t provide for a normative comparison.
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Limitations Response rates were lower than expected due to technical glitches in the survey administration of UC’s Blackboard site and the inability to use the ACS email platform and databases. ACS determined that there was a privacy conflict associated with using this information - which was expected to be the largest source of contacts - so the team wasn’t able to distribute the survey using their infrastructure. These two unexpected reductions in contact information drastically reduced the sample size.
An increased dropout rate for towards the end of the survey leads us to suspect the comprehensive nature of the survey dissuaded recruits from participating. Although the instructions indicated that the survey would take about 10 minutes to complete, the research team received feedback from a faculty member respondent saying the survey was “NOT short” and that they grew impatient towards the end of the survey.
Survey completion time ranged from 1 minute to over 4 hours with an average completion time of 10.3 minutes (controlled for assumed dropout completions of less than five minutes or exceeding 30 minutes) (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Participant Survey Completion Time - Outliers Removed
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
6 7 8 9 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28
Freq
uency
Comple/on Time (min)
Par/cipant Survey Comple/on Time
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Key Findings
Secondary Data Secondary research identified 3 common traits underlying the success of top 10 Relays:
Relay Culture Personalization Fundraising
Action Establish on-campus Relay community
Forge personal connections with individuals
Innovate fundraising
Result Increased participation Strengthen commitment to Relay mission; increased participation
Reach non-participants
Table 1. Common Traits among Top Relays
Primary Data Coordinator Survey
Drawing from secondary research findings, the Coordinator Survey sought to identify effective methods to enact and solicit the desired outcomes in Table 1. To make this more meaningful, the coordinators were asked to identify how each university group is most likely to support Relay and the most effective way to reach them (Table 2).
Undergraduate Students
Graduate Students Faculty / Staff Community
Target For… Participation Donations Donations Donations
Using… Social Media Email Email Traditional Media
Table 2. Method of Support and Outreach by University Group
Previous research shows that overall awareness is essential in creating a sense of community (“Relay culture”) on campus. To determine the best way to build a strong Relay culture and meet the objective to spread awareness, the Coordinators were asked to share the strategies that were most effective to get people talking about the Relay. Results show that online and social media campaigns are the most effective way to get the campus buzzing.
Coordinators were also asked to rank the relative importance of variables in increasing awareness, participation, and fundraising. The top three most effective ways to achieve Relay objectives were identified and illustrated below (Table 3).
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Table 3. Most Effective Methods by Relay Objective
Overall Awareness Year over Year Participation Fundraising
#1 Year-round promotion
Target campus organizations Create buzz Online campaigns
#2 Creative fundraisers Distribute
promotional and educational material
Use tried and true strategies
Fundraising competitions
#3 Face-to-face recruitment
Strong social media presence
Use survivors & those affected in
promotions
Seasonal fundraisers
UC Community Survey
The most significant findings show:
• People don’t participate because they are not aware of the event • Misconceptions
o Faculty think Relay is only for students o Students think Relay is only for athletes
• Female students most likely to participate
Note: Unless the findings are indicated as “overall”, the information is reported by respondent group (Figure 2) and past participation for more meaningful analysis.
Figure 2. UC Community Survey Participants by Group
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Overall Lack of Relay Awareness
Not knowing about the event and time constraints were two main reasons respondents said they did not participate in Relay (Figure 3). “Other” responses suggested themes related to physical limitations, not wanting to attend after-hours event on campus, and preference to donate directly.
Figure 3. Top Three Reasons for Not Participating
When asked how they learned about Relay, word of mouth was the most common response in both groups (Figure 4). Students reported more exposure through clubs/organizations than faculty members, who reported hearing about the event from other faculty/staff members and past experience and emails (Figure 4).
Figure 4. How Students and Faculty Heard About Relay
When asked to provide ideas about how to improve campus engagement, responses included: “more visible advertising”, “recruit student/faculty leaders”, “focus on the impact that
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the cancer research is making to develop treatments that work”, and “incorporate more social media”. This is consistent with secondary research and the Coordinator Survey results, which called for:
• Social media as being essential to facilitating relay participation and awareness, • The formation of administrative teams as important facilitation strategy, and • Highlighting local cancer research efforts and outcomes.
Perceptions
Overall, the words most strongly associated with Relay were: cause, cancer, community, fundraising and race. With the exception of “race”, this suggests an accurate overall understanding of Relay. This finding aligns with text responses to, “What is the main reason you do not participate”, which show students believe Relay is a sporting event meant for athletes; not students in general.
Faculty responses, on the other hand, show they think Relay is only meant for students, citing “students” nine times when asked “What words come to mind when you think of Relay?” Misconceptions among groups could be significantly inhibiting participation rates.
Likelihood of Participation
Although females make up the majority of past participants, they are also more likely than males not to participate again (Figure 5), mostly due to reported time constraints. This information is significant to participant retention by promoting opportunities to participate for fewer hours or other ways to support.
Other reasons for non-participation were lack of interest (20% overall), preference to donate directly (11% faculty), and preference to donate to a different cause (13% faculty).
Figure 5. Gender Differences in Future Participation
Overall, participants cited a desire to support ACS and knowing someone affecting as main drivers for participating (Figure 6 and Figure 7). Students provided 62% of the text responses regarding future participation, with 44% saying they would participate again to
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support ACS and 23% said their participation was due to the impact of cancer on a friend or family member. This suggests that strengthening connections between Relay and UC Community members could improve participation rates. Text responses citing “family or friend” recruitment” also suggest the importance of personal invitations. A “fun” factor was more important to students; whereas faculty members were motivated to participate if one of their organizations were participating.
Figure 6. Main Reasons for Participation: Students
Figure 7. Main Reasons for Participation: Faculty
There was also a notable proportion of participants — 66% — who live less than 10 miles from the on-campus Relay site, suggesting a correlation between how far away participants live and likelihood of participation (Figure 8).
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Figure 8. Distance of Participant’s Residence from Campus
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Secondary Findings Both students and faculty contributed more to health-oriented charities than social welfare and arts/education-oriented charities (Figure 9). Aside from Relay, the responses showed that the students most commonly supported church-based organizations and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, while the faculty most commonly supported the ArtsWave and The United Way charity organizations.
Figure 9. Type of Charities Supported Faculty vs. Students
A word association analysis revealed that the students used the word, “hope” three times when thinking about the Relay, while faculty/staff didn’t reference this word.
Two correlation tables developed using the additional open-ended informational responses were unsuccessful in determining relationships between reasons for past and future participation.
Consistent with primary findings, the only four past participants who gave a text response not participating again said it was because they “weren’t interested” and that they “had other commitments.”
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Recommendations
Based on analysis of both primary and secondary research results, the findings suggest that the Relay Planning Committee consider the following suggestions when planning the execution of next year’s event:
1. Get the Word Out: In the non-participant student segment the “Didn’t know about the event” response was the most cited reason for not participating. Build on word of mouth through increased electronic promotions and with on campus flyers, which had a positive impact on building recall and awareness.
a. Word of mouth was how the majority of participants learned about relay, but the lack of overall awareness suggests that this strategy isn’t enough.
b. 77% of students strongly agree on-campus fundraisers are a good idea and a strong majority of respondents suggested increasing on-campus advertising either through traditional media like flyers, or gorilla marketing, such as “Posting cancer morbidity rates in unexpected places”.
c. Females make up the majority of participants, but need to be made aware of other options of participating besides an all night commitment to increase retention.
2. Get Online: Build social media platforms, which are the best way to reach students.
a. 91% of Coordinators said generating buzz was “Extremely Important” to building year-over-year success, and they ranked social media as the best way to create it.
3. Get Personal: Face-to-face recruitment was rated “Extremely Important” by 40% of coordinators and was ranked third in overall importance to Relay success.
a. Identify what makes UC tick and leverage it in promotions to build a Relay community. Using UC’s long-standing rivalry with Xavier in a fundraising competition earned it the #2 (of 11) spot in our list of fundraisers student are most likely to support.
b. 64% of students agreed they would be more likely to support Relay if they knew someone personally affected and “knowing someone diagnosed with cancer” is a main reason for participation. Recruit survivors and those affected for more recruitment teams to get the word out.
c. Results like respondents learning about Relay most often through word of mouth support a theme of personalization and connections. Incentive referral programs could be established to incentivize participant recruitment.
4. Make it Fun: Literature reviews show that adding an element of fun increases participation.
a. 82% of students surveyed thought charity events should be fun
b. A majority of students said they would be more likely to attend “fun” fundraisers like DJ-ed dance parties and 12 Days of Relay holiday-themed events
5. Be time sensitive: Promote year round
a. Students cited “Don’t have time” and “Couldn’t commit to participating for 18 hours” as the top two reasons for not participating. Yet, a Relay 5K that was held during the day was the fundraising event that students said they were most likely to participate in (68%). The research team believes that this responses is because it would require a shorter duration, fixed amount of time than the current Relay format.
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Conclusions Separate outreach strategies should be developed to reach UC segments and these strategies should use year-round promotional campaigns to increase recall and recognition among all groups. Student outreach should be employed mainly using social media and should focus on the element of fun while educating this audience about the Relay event. This will help to clear up misconceptions about the event and audience participation requirements.
Faculty outreach should be employed via email campaigns that highlight the role that each faculty member could play in the event and which promote leadership opportunities. This will help to clear up the misconceptions that the event is not interested in faculty participation.
Survivors and others affected by cancer should be incorporated into the promotions and the education strategies for all segments. This will forge personal connections, strengthen the relationship to the Relay, and promote a sense of community.
The UC Relay Planning Committee should develop administrative teams for each objective and recruit student and faculty leaders for team leadership roles.
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Appendix A: Coordinator Survey
Q1 As coordinator of one of Relay for Life's most successful youth and collegiate markets, we are contacting you to ask about how you maintain continued growth and success with your fundraising efforts, Relay promotion, and event coordination. Completing the survey should only take about 5-10 minutes. We appreciate your openness and shared insights to help us to work toward the Relay's mission to fight for every birthday threatened by cancer, in every community!
Q2 Let's get started! First, please tell us the name of the University where your Relay is held.
Q3 Relay for Life believes that "Creating a Culture" and "The Relay Experience" are two of the most important keys to Relay success. The next few questions are about {Name of University}'s Relay culture and experience.
Q4 Please indicate the importance of the following items to the overall success of Relay at {Name of University}.
Extremely Important
(1)
Very Important
(2)
Neither Important
nor Unimportant
(3)
Very Unimportant
(4)
Not at all Important
(5)
Holding events that fit our campus culture (ex: recruitment challenges against our biggest rival University)
(1) m m m m m
Face-to-face, personalized recruitment (ex: telling stories of
survival and Why We Relay campaigns) (2)
m m m m m
Year round promotion (ex: leaf raking fundraisers in the fall or
mailing seasonal greeting cards) (3)
m m m m m
Creating Spirit Teams (4) m m m m m
Creative fundraisers (ex: Donate for a Date Homecoming
Fundraiser) (5) m m m m m
Other, please specify (6) m m m m m
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Q5 What generates the most buzz for Relay at {Name of University}? (Select one)
m Online/social media (live streaming the event, YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter) (1) m Fundraisers (2) m Spirit boosting events (3) m Mission/advocacy campaigns (4) m Other, please specify (5) ____________________
Q6 Which of the following do you think are most important in turning the Relay into an experience, rather than just an event? (Select one)
m Themed laps (ex: remembrance laps) (1) m Ambiance (ex: special placement of luminaries) (2) m Featuring cancer survivors and others personally affected (3) m Holding other Relay night events (ex: survivor dinners before the event and brunches after
the event) (4) m Booths or tables (ex: to distribute education materials and recruit sponsors) (5) m Other, please specify (6) ____________________
Q7 The next set of questions are about the types and success of fundraisers held at {Name of University} last year. Please remember your responses will be kept confidential and shared only with approved study team members and approved University of Cincinnati Relay for Life staff.
Q8 In terms of 2013 earnings, please rank the following fundraisers from 1 (highest) to 8 (lowest).
______ Online fundraising campaign (1) ______ Homecoming fundraising campaign (2) ______ Fundraising competition (ex: with rival school) (3) ______ Seasonal fundraiser(s) (ex: fall leaf raking or holiday parties) (4) ______ Dinner/banquet fundraising event (5) ______ Socials/dances (ex: sponsored nights at clubs or Beats to Beat Cancer) (6) ______ On-site fundraisers (7) ______ Other, please specify (8)
Q9 Almost done! The next few questions are about recruitment and promotion campaigns held at {Name of University} last year.
Q10 Please indicate how important each of the following are to the continued success of Relay at {Name of University}.
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Extremely Important
(1)
Somewhat Important
(2)
Neither Important
nor Unimportant
(3)
Somewhat Unimportant
(4)
Not at all Important
(5)
Making sure our Relay is different from other Relay
events (1) m m m m m
Tailoring the Relay package to fit our campus (2) m m m m m
Generating buzz about the Relay (3) m m m m m
Boosting "Relay Spirit" (4) m m m m m
Incorporating the latest social trends into Relay events and
promotions (5) m m m m m
Using tried and true ways to increase participation and
donations (6) m m m m m
Innovating new ways to increase participation and
donations (7) m m m m m
Promoting mission awareness (8) m m m m m
Recruiting survivors or others affected to promote the Relay
(9) m m m m m
Partnerships with other campus organizations (ex: student
government) (10) m m m m m
Highlighting the University's Cancer Research Center or
local hospitals (11) m m m m m
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Q11 In your experience, in what way are the following groups most likely to support Relay and what is the most effective way of reaching them?
Please indicate how each group is most likely to get involved in Relay
What is the most effective way of reaching each of these groups?
Par
ticip
atio
n (1
)
Don
atio
ns (2
)
Vol
unte
ers
(3)
Face
-to-fa
ce
Inte
rcep
t (1)
Em
ail (
2)
Soc
ial M
edia
(3)
Spe
cial
Eve
nts
(4)
Trad
ition
al
Med
ia (f
lyer
s,
mai
lings
, har
d co
py) (
5)
Undergraduate Students (1) m m m m m m m m
Alumni (2) m m m m m m m m
Faculty/Staff (3) m m m m m m m m
Graduate Students (4) m m m m m m m m
Community Members (5) m m m m m m m m
Q12 Any other advice you can offer other Relay coordinators to put on successful Relays?
Q13 Last few questions! The following will ask about how you spread Relay message and educate {Name of University} about Relay's mission.
Q14 How effective are the following to raise awareness about the Relay's mission at {Name of University}?
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Extremely Effective
(1)
Somewhat Effective
(2)
Neither Effective
nor Ineffective
(3)
Somewhat Ineffective
(4)
Ineffective (5)
Personalization (ex: having cancer survivors go door-to-door on campus telling their personal
stories) (1) m m m m m
Distributing educational or promotional materials (ex: booths at
campus events) (2) m m m m m
Targeting campus organizations (ex: religious groups, Greek life,
scholarship recipients) (3) m m m m m
Strong social media & online presence (4) m m m m m
Other, please specify (5) m m m m m
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Appendix B: UC Community Survey
As a member of the University of Cincinnati community, we are contacting you to help us reach our goal of making UC's Relay For Life (Relay) the best in the nation! Nationwide, Relay is the American Cancer Society's most successful, community-based fundraiser and the organization's signature event. At UC the event is an 18 hour, overnight fundraising walk where teams of UC students, faculty, and other UC community members camp out and take turns walking the track throughout the night to symbolize that the fight against cancer never stops. The funds raised from this event are dedicated to fulfilling the mission of improving cancer survival rates, decreasing the incidence of cancer, and improving the quality of life for those who have been diagnosed with cancer. The following survey takes about 7-10 minutes to complete and asks for your thoughts on why more UC students, faculty, and other UC community members don't sign up, donate, or volunteer for Relay; your awareness and perceptions about the event; how you think it's best to engage with the UC community; and your ideas about how we can improve the event. Your personal information will be submitted anonymously and no identifying information will be obtained during participation. We greatly appreciate you taking time out of your day to help us! Thank you for helping us in our mission to fight cancer!
Q1 Let's get started! Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I am a UC....
m Undergraduate Student (1) m Graduate Student (2) m Faculty or Staff Member (3) m UC Alumni (4) m Other (5) ____________________ m None of the Above - Community Member (6)
Q2 In your opinion, is the American Cancer Society a cause worth supporting?
m Yes (1) m No (2) m Not sure (3)
Q3 Have you participated, volunteered, or donated to Relay in the past?
m Yes (1) m No (2)
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Answer If Do you plan to do so again? Is Selected
Q101 Do you plan to do so again this year?
m Yes - At UC (4) m No (5) m Unsure (6) m Yes - At Another College (7) m Yes - At A Community Relay (8)
Q5 Before taking this survey, were you aware that Relay for Life was a fundraiser supporting the American Cancer Society?
m Yes (1) m No (2)
Answer If Before taking this survey, were you aware that Relay for Life was a fundraiser supporting the American Cancer Society? No Is Selected
Q6 If you had known Relay for Life supports the American Cancer Society, would you have participated?
m Yes (1) m No (2) m Not sure (3)
Answer If Have you participated, volunteered, or donated to Relay in the past? Yes Is Selected Or Before taking this survey, were you aware that Relay for Life was a fundraiser supporting the American Cancer Society? Yes Is Selected
Q7 How did you learn about Relay? (select all that apply)
q Word of mouth (1) q Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) (2) q Through someone affected by cancer (3) q Flyers/posters/advertisements posted on campus (4) q Through a club/organization (5) q Faculty/staff member (6) q Other (7) ____________________ q A Relay committee member talked in my residence hall or learning community (8) q Never heard of Relay (9)
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Answer If Do you plan to do so again? Is Selected
Q8 What were the main reasons you participated in Relay? (select all that apply)
q It looked fun (1) q I wanted to support the American Cancer Society (2) q I needed community service hours (3) q To socialize and meet new people (4) q My friends signed up (5) q It was a way for me to get exercise while having fun (6) q A group I'm involved in was participating (fraternity/sorority, club, organization) (7) q Not sure (8) q Other (please specify) (9) ____________________ q I know someone affected by cancer (10)
Answer If Have you participated, volunteered, or donated to Relay in the past? No Is Selected
Q9 What was the main reason you have not participated in Relay?
m Registration fee was too expensive (1) m I did not want to stay overnight (2) m I couldn't commit to participating for 18 hours (3) m I was not interested in the event (4) m I couldn't find a team (5) m The location was inconvenient (6) m Time conflict (7) m I prefer to participate in more physically challenging events (8) m Other, please specify (9) ____________________ m I didn't know about the event (10)
Answer If Do you plan to do so again? No Is Selected Or Do you plan to do so again? Unsure Is Selected
Q10 What is the MAIN reason you would not plan to participate again?
Answer If Do you plan to do so again? Yes Is Selected Or Do you plan to do so again? Unsure Is Selected
Q11 What is the MAIN reason you would plan to participate again?
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Q12 What other charities do you support? (select all that apply)
q Cincinnati Dance Marathon (1) q Greek Week (2) q Other, please specify (3) ____________________ q None (4) q Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure (5) q UC+Pantene Beautiful Lengths (6) q Mercy Mini Heart Marathon (7) q Flying Pig Marathon (8) q Dragonfly Foundation (9)
Q109 What are the first words that come to mind when you think of Relay at UC?
Q14 Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements.
Strongly Disagree
(1)
Somewhat Disagree
(2)
Neither agree nor
Disagree (3)
Somewhat Agree (4)
Strongly Agree
(5) It's a good idea to have fundraisers on
campus (1) m m m m m
I would be more likely to support a fundraising event for a national, rather
than a local charity (2) m m m m m
I would like to donate more to charitable events, but I don't have the
money (3) m m m m m
I would like to participate more in charitable events but I don't have
enough time (4) m m m m m
Hearing a story from someone personally affected would make me more likely to support a cause (5)
m m m m m
Charity events should be "fun" (7) m m m m m
It is important to receive some type of gift (t-shirt, medal, sunglasses, etc.)
for my support (8) m m m m m
I prefer to donate to charities online instead of attending the event (9) m m m m m
I make it a point to support charities (10) m m m m m
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Q15 What are the main reasons you participate in charity events? You may choose as many as apply to you. Please remember responses are anonymous.
q To give back (1) q I, or someone I know, is affected by the charitable cause (2) q To socialize with friends or to meet new people (4) q For the chance to compete (5) q To bring home the giveaways (6) q It gives me something to post on social media (7) q For the physical challenge (for charity sporting events) (8) q It gives me a sense of community (9) q It makes me feel good about myself (10) q I do not participate in charity events (11) q Other, please specify (12) ____________________
Q16 We are always looking for ways to generate buzz about Relay around campus. Please indicate how likely you think the following are to get people talking about Relay.
Extremely Unlikely
(1)
Somewhat Unlikely (2)
Neither Likely nor
Unlikely (3)
Somewhat Likely (4)
Extremely Likely (5)
Holding Relay events throughout the year (1) m m m m m
Building a stronger on-campus Relay community (2) m m m m m
Opportunities to participate in Relay online instead of attending the event
(3) m m m m m
Holding fundraising and recruitment competitions with Xavier or other
rivals (4) m m m m m
Hearing stories of UC cancer survivors/affected (6) m m m m m
Hearing about Relay on social media and on campus (7) m m m m m
Using the latest trends in Relay events (i.e. selfies in a "Selfie
Awareness" campaign that encourages you to share a selfie to
raise awareness for Relay) (8)
m m m m m
Do you have an idea for us? (9) m m m m m
Page | 26
Q17 Please take a minute to watch a past Relay for Life promotional video and answer the following questions about the video.
______ This video was inspirational (4) ______ This video motivated me to participate (5) ______ This video was memorable (6) ______ This video was informative (7) ______ This video gave me a sense of the Relay spirit (8)
Q105 Please read a bit about the following fundraisers and tell us if you would participate in the fundraiser to support the American Cancer Society.
Page | 27
How likely would you be to participate in this
fundraiser?
How likely would you be to contribute to this
fundraiser?
Unlikely
(1)
Neither Likely or
Unlikely (2)
Likely (3)
Unlikely (1)
Neither Likely or
Unlikely (2)
Likely (3)
Beats to Beat Cancer: DJ-ed dance party at a popular off-campus lounge featuring
glow sticks, lasers, house music, and more (1)
m m m m m m
Donate for a Date: Date auction with the UC Homecoming court (2) m m m m m m
Bake Sale: Baked goods sold on campus (3) m m m m m m
Fall Leaf-Raking: For a $10 donation, Relay teams will rake your yard (4) m m m m m m
12 Days of Relay: Holiday-themed fundraiser held the 12 days before winter break. Each day features a new event.
(5) m m m m m m
Survivor's Banquet: Pre-Relay dinner held on campus featuring cancer
survivors from the UC community (6) m m m m m m
Hair Dye Fundraiser: Get a strip of hair (temporarily) dyed purple at a salon near campus to raise awareness for Relay (7)
m m m m m m
Fund-Off vs. Xavier: A competition with rival Xavier to see who can raise the
most money for their school's Relay (8) m m m m m m
UC's Got Talent: Students and faculty perform live to see who's talent
reigns supreme (9) m m m m m m
Do you have an idea for us? (10) m m m m m m
Relay 5K: A run/walk held during the day (11) m m m m m m
Q107 How interested are you interested in coordinating a Relay team fundraiser event?
______ (4)
Q21 How important are each of the following in your decision to participate or not participate in UC's Relay For Life?
Page | 28
Not At All Important
(1)
Somewhat Unimportant
(3)
Neither Important nor
Unimportant (4)
Somewhat Important
(5)
Very Important
(7) Entertainment (1) m m m m m
Free Food and Beverage (2) m m m m m
Survivor and Caregiver Participation (3) m m m m m
Luminaria Ceremony (4) m m m m m
Ample Space for Campsite (5) m m m m m
Electricity (6) m m m m m
Contests and Prizes (7) m m m m m
Availability of Assistance During Event (8) m m m m m
Event Format (Overnight Event) (9) m m m m m
Answer If Have you participated, volunteered, or donated to Relay in the past? Yes Is Selected
Q22 How satisfied are you with each of the following at UC’s Relay:
Very Dissatisfied
(1)
Somewhat Dissatisfied
(2)
Neutral (3)
Somewhat Satisfied
(4)
Very Satisfied
(5) Entertainment (1) m m m m m
Free Food and Beverage (2) m m m m m
Survivor and Caregiver Participation (3) m m m m m
Luminaria Ceremony (4) m m m m m
Ample Space for Campsite (5) m m m m m
Electricity (6) m m m m m
Contests and Prizes (7) m m m m m
Availability of Assistance During Event (8) m m m m m
Event Format (Overnight Event) (9) m m m m m
Page | 29
Q24 What is your gender?
m Male (1) m Female (2) m Prefer not to say (3)
Q25 How old are you?
m Under 18 (1) m 18-24 (2) m 25-34 (3) m 35-44 (4) m 45-54 (5) m 55-64 (6) m 65 or older (7) m Prefer not to say (8)
Q26 Approximately how far do you live from UC's Uptown Campus?
m I live on campus (1) m < 5 miles (2) m 6-10 miles (3) m 11-20 miles (4) m 21-50 miles (5) m 51-75 miles (6) m 76-100 miles (7) m >100 miles (8)
Page | 30
Appendix C: Secondary Research Participation in Volunteering for Cause Based Events
Volunteer Motivations Across Student Organizations (http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.180.2221&rep=rep1&type=pdf)
• Person-environment fit theories • Decline in volunteer participation over a number of years may be due to egocentrism
and self-development • Volunteerism is for the wealthy only • There have been recent attempts in higher education to increase the involvement of
students in volunteer activities and increase the quality of their experiences. These efforts have been founded, in part, on:
(a) the importance attributed to the services made available through volunteer commitment, (b) the finding that involvement in campus activities contributes to student development (Astin, 1985), and (c) the apparent positive relationship between campus involvement and overall retention rates for students in higher education
• Through clarifying the reasons why people volunteer • Social exchange theory suggests that people contribute to the degree that they
perceive that they are being rewarded. Research findings and a more complex understanding of volunteerism are positive steps motivation towards recruiting additional volunteers and providing them with satisfactory experiences In a second person-environment theory, developed by Murray (1938), it is predicted that individuals seek situations that will fulfill their needs.
o First, volunteers in this study differed from other students in motivational needs, as suggested by the differences in ACL scores of the current sample and the normative sample of the ACL.
o The volunteers in this study also differed according to organizational membership. The volunteers involved in peer counseling had more Social types than did the other groups. These volunteers were also found to have higher motivational needs in areas that would suggest a greater emphasis on group decision making and deference to the needs of others.
o Recruitment volunteers were predominantly Enterprising and Social and were highest in motivations that reflected needs for independence, autonomy, affiliation, and achievement.
o The Service Fraternity had the greatest number of volunteers who were Investigative types: whereas the Program Board reflected the greatest diversity in Holland codes. The diversity of this latter group is probably best explained by the nature of the organization, which is organized into many autonomous subgroups. providing a variety of environments for volunteers.
• One practical use of these findings is in the recruitment of new volunteers. Locating volunteers who are likely to succeed in the particular environment represented by an organization will increase the likelihood that they will remain with the group. The first step in this effort is to assess the goals, objectives, and structure of the organization. An organization that provides a great deal of structure and guidance might appeal most to people who are high in motivational needs for order or who have Holland high-point codes of Conventional or Investigative.
Page | 31
Typology of charity support behaviors: (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J054v17n01_07#.UvUUN_ldVbE) • Discusses how to generate new supporters and garner additional support using non-
traditional forms of charitable support outside volunteering and financial donations. • Suggests that events should target a market by segmenting high involvement
participants and low involvement participants • Target high involvers when implementing traditionally uninvolved support like charity
gaming • Factors influencing decision to support charity:
o Persistent donor variables: perceptions, motives, abilities o Transient donor variables: moods, media exposure, attention o Sympathy and personal relevance o Level of personal identification with charity o Volunteerism linked to higher levels of financial contributions
• Offer experiential forms of support: o Offering value-added, experiential forms of support with hedonic benefits like
raffle tickets encourages retention and recruitment of supporters. i. Benefit: level of involvement or awareness of the charity is irrelevant in
decision to participate ii. Introduces newbies to charity and is opportunity to capture future
involvement/support Important for charities to deliver and reinforce their message through all communication channels to expose purpose or need to increase involvement
Motivation to participate different in high and low involvement participants High involvers: Charity foremost in minds Low involvers: Leisure, entertainment, and social networking foremost in minds of low involved. Unable to recall charity sponsoring event.
Evaluate impact of adding a lottery/raffle . Attracts low & high involvers
i. Low involvers motivated by desire to win prizes, improved odds of winning
ii. High involvers motivated by desire to support charity Charity gaming activities raised $1.3 billion annually; accounts 3% of US gambling revenues.
• Evaluate impact of offering charitable products o Low involvers buy because of the appeal of product itself o High involvers buy because of identification with charity and ability to use
product as badge of support. The higher the level of identification; the more they are willing to pay.
• Evaluate impact of cause-related marketing o Donating portion of sales to a charity effective way for companies to
differentiate from competition • Increasing financial contributions
o High Involvers i. Decision to donate based on relevance of charity. Recognition of
charity name sufficient to generate donations. ii. Motivated by egotistical reward, charity is relevant, backward
reciprocity (donor “paying back” services received by charity),
Page | 32
empathy, perceived risk: level of risk and commitment related to donor involvement
iii. Further, involved supporters should be targeted when charities develop what are traditionally considered uninvolved forms of support, such as charity gaming, as these novel support products likely tap what were heretofore untapped consumption values
o Low involvers iv. Motivations include tax deductions, to “get rid of” solicitor, social
pressure. Charity irrelevant.
Understanding charity fundraising events http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/nvsm.239/abstract;jsessionid=E5B46995E42AD6D825200A7F2E231DFA.f01t04?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false
• Charity support may may be secondary motivation • Private benefit gained by attending may be primary motivation.
o personal achievement o opportunity to show generosity o having fun
• Suggests fundraisers provide opportunity to reach donors beyond those who only donate because of their support of the cause.
Motivations to Participate in Charity Sporting Events
Factors affecting participation in charity sport events involving a low intensive physical activity
http://inderscience.metapress.com/content/2372m33qhl7r747w/ • Rank of most important motives in participation
o supporting the cause o socializing o enjoying sports o getting benefits
• Indicates more external constraints to participating than internal constraints to participating
• Reported differences in motivations and future intentions between different types of participants
• Relays should consider segmenting by participant demographics
Motivations for participating in charity-affiliated sporting events
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=8af85f8b-94c0-4cf3-be13-333b88bae641%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=26316485 • Four (of ten) most important motives to participating or donating
o personal involvement with cause o event provides opportunity to lead healthy lifestyle o individual involvement with type of event sport
Page | 33
o desire to socialize • Factors contributing to willingness to donate/ pay more to participate
o event perceived as high status o highly involved with cause o commitment to healthy lifestyle
• Characteristics contributing to frequency of participation o having a duty to participate o wanting fun/enjoyment o Must be attracted to event to be convinced participation will satisfy a personal
need o Suggests organizations determine if students more motivated to participate by
the type of activity the event is (the walk itself) or by factors associated with the cause to develop more effective campaigns that maximize participation and revenue
o Increase in willingness to pay higher entrance fees when the event publishes amount of money it takes to organize the event and information about volunteer resources expended on the event
Motivating factors influencing college students' participation in charity sport events
• Six factors (from most to least important) identified in motivation of college student participation and donations
o philanthropy o sport o supporting the cause o social interactions o reference group influence
• benefits o Suggests emphasizing philanthropic nature of event to attract females, non-
Whites, and previous participants when developing promotional strategies and fundraising campaigns
o Suggests selecting a high demand sport activity to attract males, whites, and previous non- participants when developing promotional strategies and fundraising campaigns
Factors Influencing the College Students’ Choice of a Charity Sporting Event: A Conjoint Analysis
• Establishes relative importance of five event attributes influencing choice to participate in sporting event (from most to least important):
o Sport activity Cause/host organization
o Participation fee o Reference (information source) o Participation gift
Page | 34
Top Collegiate Relay Events
Colleges Against Cancer Impact Update
http://college.relayforlife.org/acs/groups/content/@relayforlife/documents/document/acspc-030894.pdf
o What the most successful Relays have in common § Creation of a Relay culture
• Successful Relays are ingrained in campus culture, well-known, established, and “the thing” to do
• Relay coordinator tailors Relay package to fit their unique campus environment
Personalized Relay Experience • Door to door recruitment includes face-to-face sharing of personal
cancer stories with potential participants • Year round promotion • Innovative spirit boosting techniques
Fundraising • Formation of fundraising committees to create innovative fundraisers
Based off these findings, I drafted a survey in Qualtrics (and shared with you all) to administer to Relay coordinators to find out more about how they have implemented these strategies and to determine how they can be applied at UC
Most Inspiring Relay for Life Collegiate Events http://www.collegemagazine.com/editorial/2531/Schools-Go-Hard-On-Relay-For-Life Virginia Tech
• Moved event to center of campus • Number one in online fundraising ($600k) • Mission to always “outdo themselves” • Relay included an America’s Got Talent group • Live streams event • Can watch time lapse of event online
University of Michigan Ann Arbor • Brings together all corners of campus • Makes a point to build up to event • Begin laying out next year’s Relay two days after event
University of Georgia • Features students who have fought or are suffering from cancer to inspire recruits • Highlights Cancer Research Facility--close to developing breast and pancreatic
cancer vaccine Washington University in St. Louis
• Held in memorium of Vice Chancellor who lost cancer battle • Attributes growth to “Why we Relay” campaigns that encourage student
participation Georgetown University
• Holds fundraising competitions between rival University, Syracuse (COULD WE SURVEY TO SEE IF THIS WOULD WORK WITH XAVIER?)
• Relay is seen as way for students to form communities in absence of Greek life Syracuse University
Page | 35
• Held in indoor athletic facility--placement of luminaria in stands is visually impactful
• Alumni and student survivor presence makes it a focal event
High Gear for 2014
http://blogs.roanoke.com/theburgs/community/2013/12/18/vt-relay-participants-already-in-high-gear-for-2014-event/ o Biggest buzz ever for 2014 o Volunteers report motivated by long-term Relay goals, year round involvement, and
identification with mission o “Celebrate” Survivor’s Lap and Survivor’s Banquet held on night of event. Says
banquet prompted more survivors to get involved o Formed Survivorship and Caregiver Relations Committee for VT Relay to advocate
survivor stories leading up to event § Mail out seasonal greeting cards to survivors to ask for participation § Reach out to students in faith-based organizations
o “Remember” Formed Mission and Advocacy Committee to spread stories and mission.
§ Emotional experience of the Remembrance Lap prompted more involvement from survivors
§ Service projects: Leaf Raking Fundraiser § Set up booths with education and prevention info/resources § Relay Run 5K § Cancer Symposium featuring ongoing research (COULD PARTNER WITH
COM TO SEE IF WE COULD SET UP SOMETHING LIKE THIS) § Plan to Visit hospitals § Plan to start a YouTube Channel with educational info to spread Relay
message o “Fight Back” Fundraising Committee
§ Educational fundraising objective to raise money and make sure donors know what the money is going to
§ Fundraising outcomes posted on their Facebook, www.facebook.com/VTRelay
§ Donate for a Date homecoming fundraiser § 5 Days of Relay holiday fundraiser before winter break
• purple doughnuts and hot chocolate social on event site • dinner and dancing • “Benny’s Percentage Day” • Beats to Beat Cancer dance celebration
Recruitment Committee Expanding scope of relay to new participant groups Goal to register 6,500 participants; 21% of student body Recruitment challenge against U of V before Thanksgiving generated 400 new participants in 48 hours
Page | 36
Appendix D: Summary of Open-Ended Questions 166 of the 391 responses provided “Respondent Type” information so that the records could be segmented by type. 40% identified themselves as undergraduate or graduate students; 54% identified themselves as faculty/staff.
Distribution: Type of respondents
Sum of Q1
Row Labels Total
1 – Undergrad 57
2 – Grad 10
3 – Faculty/Staff 90
4 – Alumni 4
5 – Community Mbr 5
Grand Total 166
By type of respondent, where did they learn about Relay?
Count of Q7_7_TEXT
Row Labels Col
leag
ues
Com
mun
ity
Eve
nt
Fam
ily
Frie
nd
Med
ia
Oth
er S
choo
l
Stu
dent
s
(bla
nk)
Gra
nd T
otal
1 – Undergrad
4 3
2 2 1 105 117
2 – Grad 1
1
17 19
3 – Faculty/Staff 4 1 3 2 11 7 6 103 137
4 – Alumni
2 2
5 – Commty Mbr
4 4
Grand Total 5 5 6 2 13 10 7 231 279
By type of respondent, what were the main reasons you participated in Relay?
Count of Q8_9_TEXT
Row Labels
Fam
ily
Dia
gnos
is
Pas
t V
olun
teer
(bla
nk)
Don
ated
$
Eve
nt fo
rmat
Rec
ruite
d
Spo
nsor
ed
Team
Gra
nd T
otal
Page | 37
1 – Undergrad 1
70
1
72
2 – Grad
1 10
11
3 – Faculty/Staff
2 61 3
9 2 77
4 – Alumni
1
1
5 – Commty Mbr
3
3
Grand Total 1 3 145 3 1 9 2 164
By type of respondent, what was the main reason you have not participated in Relay?
Count of Q9_TEXT
Row Labels
1 –
Und
ergr
ad
2 –
Gra
d
3 –
Facu
lty/S
taf
f
4 –
Alu
mni
5 –
Com
mty
M
br
Gra
nd
Tota
l
Don't endorse ACS 1
1
1 3
Don't like soliciting money
1
1
Don't like the format 2
2 1
5
Don't live in area
1 2
3
Never invited
1
1
Not a runner 3
1
1 5
Not enough notice 1
1
2
Not familiar with event 1
3
4
Not interested 4 3 11
18
Not personally invited 1
3
4
Other commitments
1 5
6
Over solicited
2
2
Physical mobility 1 1 4
6
Prefer donation
6
1 7
Student event
1
1
Support other causes
7
7
(blank) 4 2 6 1 2 15
Grand Total 18 8 57 2 5 90
By type of respondent, what is the main reason you would not plan to participate again?
Page | 38
Count of Q10
Row Labels Mon
ey
Not
in
tere
sted
Oth
er
com
mitm
ents
(bla
nk)
Gra
nd
Tota
l
1 – Undergrad
2
2
2 – Grad
3 – Faculty/Staff 1 5 4
10
4 – Alumni
5 – Commty Mbr
Grand Total 1 5 6
12
By type of respondent, what is the main reason you would plan to participate again?
Count of Q11 Coded
Row Labels Per
sona
l lo
ss
Soc
ial
Soc
ial/S
upp
ort
AC
S
Sup
port
AC
S
To g
ive
back
To s
upor
t co
mm
unit
y
Gra
nd
Tota
l
1 – Undergrad 13 8 4 25 4 3 57
2 – Grad 1 1
3
5
3 – Faculty/Staff 3 3 3 15 3 1 28
4 – Alumni
1
1
5 – Commty Mbr
1
1
Grand Total 17 12 8 44 7 4 92
